Tag: Abyss

Shane Helms Returning to WWE In Backstage Role

Image result for Shane Helms ROH

As we previously reported, Abyss and Sonjay Dutt left Impact Wrestling last week and will be starting with WWE in a backstage capacity.

Wrestling Inc. reports that former WWE Cruiserweight Champion Shane Helms will be returning to the company as a backstage producer. Helms had been working with Ring of Honor since this past June.

Helms brings nearly 20 years of experience in the business on a national level, dating back to his signing with WCW in 1999. His biggest career run came when he started dressing as a superhero named “The Hurricane” in the WWF in 2001.

During a recent media call, Paul “Triple H” Levesque discussed the company increasing their efforts in hiring talent in backstage roles.

“We’re always on the lookout for talented people that can contribute to the product and to the WWE as a whole,” Levesque said. “It doesn’t matter where they’re from, the quality people that are talented, that have a passion for this and want it to go to the next level and succeed, I’m always looking forward to those people.”

Helms is expected to begin with WWE today. Wrestling Inc. has learned that Abyss and Dutt are believed to start their new roles by mid-February. Levesque indicated that their roles are not yet fully defined.

“Sonjay coming in here, Abyss coming in here [in] behind the scenes roles, we’re going to see where that best fit is for them,” Levesque said. “I’ve heard of them, I know of them.

“So many people speak highly of them and their jobs over the years, from a talent standpoint and other standpoint, so, I’m looking forward to working with them and seeing where they best fit through all of this, as we all are. Everybody here will determine where they fit, what they want to do, and how they can help contribute in the best way to the product going forward.”

Source: WrestlingINC

Backstage News On What Kind Of Role WWE Hired Abyss & Sonjay Dutt For, More On Impact Releasing Them

abyss sonjay dutt impact wrestling wwe departure leave exit

As reported on Wednesday, Impact Wrestling Hall of Famer Abyss (Chris Parks) and Impact veteran Sonjay Dutt have left the company to take jobs with WWE.

In an update, Parks and Dutt are being hired for behind-the-scenes roles in WWE, not as performers, according to PWInsider. There’s no confirmed word yet on what those backstage roles will be but there has been a push as of late to hire new Producers, and they continue to hire staff for the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, and now the new UK Performance Center in London.

It sounds like we could see more wrestling veterans sign with WWE for behind-the-scenes roles in the coming months as they look to keep the developmental system stocked with a variety of styles. Triple H was asked about staffing the UK Performance Center during a media call this week. He called is an ongoing process. He was also asked what they learned from staffing the main Performance Center. He revealed that they are already seeing talents improve after running the UK PC for a few weeks.

“The staffing of it is an ongoing process, and is kind of a switching out process where we’re sending people in and taking people out, and moving them in,” he said. “I think part of that is also helpful to get the variety of different opinions and training, and all of it. As far as what we’ve learned, obviously the Performance Center in the UK is a different size and scope, it’s a scaled down, slightly, version of what we have in the US. There’s not as many people, not as much demand on space and time, and everything else. We don’t yet have the need to have as much… I’ll give you an example – language training, and things like that. So space for training people language-wise. Different opportunities that as time goes by, will expand and grow. We knew what the basics are of what we need to train them in, we knew how we wanted to protect our health and wellness, we knew the things that we needed to accomplish there, and we were able to get them nicely in the space that we had. You know, we obviously were over there launching it and kind of showing it off to everybody, but we’ve been using it here for a little bit and kind of functioning, and I see the clear difference in talent already. In just their point of view, and how they’re understanding things, how they’re executing them. It really made a big difference, and even for us from a production standpoint. It’s headed in the right direction but it’ll also be a work in progress as we move forward to make sure that as that grows, the UK brand grows, all of it continues to morph and grow along with it, to provide what it needs.”

We noted before how Impact officials confirmed the departures in an e-mail to the roster earlier this week. Both departures were said to be amicable and it was said that Impact officials did not want to hold back both men from pursuing better opportunities that were offered by WWE. It was noted today that Impact had to release them from contracts in order for them to be able to sign with WWE, and the internal feeling was that there was no positive in forcing them to stay.

Dutt had been working with the Impact creative team and Abyss, the longest-tenured performer in company history, had been working as a backstage producer. There’s no word yet on when they will start working with WWE.

Source: WrestlingINC

Abyss And Sonjay Dutt Have Left Impact Wrestling – Joining WWE?

abyss sonjay dutt impact wrestling wwe departure leave exit

Pro Wrestling Sheet has confirmed Abyss and Sonjay Dutt recently split with Impact Wrestling and it’s believed they’ll be joining WWE.

PWInsider first reported news of their exit and reports are that both wrestlers were allowed out of their deals to pursue other options recently presented to them.

Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that the Impact talent was notified of the change this yesterday via email.

According to sources, Konnan and Tommy Dreamer will replace them on the creative team.

Abyss, who was the longest tenured person on the roster and a recent Impact Hall of Famer, had been working as a backstage producer. Dutt was working closely with Don Callis, Scott D’Amore and Jimmy Jacobs on the creative side of things.

It’s unclear at this point if Sonjay and Abyss will be working in backstage positions at the WWE Performance Center or elsewhere in the company.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Abyss To Be Inducted Into Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame

Image result for Abyss revealed as newest inductee to Impact hall of fame

Christopher “Abyss” Park will be inducted into the 2018 Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame. Park has spent the last 17 years of his career with Impact Wrestling, debuting at the first-ever TNA pay-per-view in June 2002.

He will actually be the first true Impact original to be inducted into their Hall of Fame, as the rest of the inductees first made their names elsewhere. He will also be the only person in the class to have never worked for WWE. During a 2016 episode of The Pancakes and Powerslams Show, which drops every Tuesday on the Wrestling Inc. YouTube channel, Park revealed that he turned down a WWE offer in 2006.

“There was interest from [WWE]. I was at a time in my career where my contract was coming up,” Abyss said. “But I decided to stay with TNA… It was definitely an offer there in 2006 to work with Undertaker, but again, I was such a big part of the beginning of TNA, I was such a home-grown talent, a base talent who they were building around, I decided to stay.

“I have no regrets, to be honest with you. Like I said, TNA has been my home and treated me so good, so in the end it was a pretty easy decision for me to make, and I’ve never looked back.”

The Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremony will take place during Bound For Glory weekend in New York City.

Source: WrestlingINC

Below is a video package of Abyss that aired last night on Impact after the Hall of Fame announcement:

Abyss tweeted the following on his upcoming Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame induction:

https://twitter.com/TherealAbyss/status/1042959518148243456

Abyss Talks If He Regrets Not Signing With WWE & Facing Undertaker At WrestleMania 19

In a interview with Ring Rust Radio, Donald Wood asked Abyss for his side of the story that Tommy Dreamer in interview with Steve Austin claiming that WWE wanted to sign Abyss to fight The Undertaker at WrestleMania 19, but instead signed with TNA and asked Abyss loking back if he would make the same decision again. Abyss said:

“I absolutely 1,000 percent would make the same decision again. I absolutely have no regrets whatsoever. Being a part of TNA since the beginning is something that I am extremely proud of. I’m not saying other places aren’t great places to go work, but for me the decision to stay on that occasion and several others is that I love TNA. I am TNA through and through and I always will be. I did have opportunities to go other places and I am proud that I was afforded that opportunity. The reason I stayed was for loyalty and no other reason. Not stage fright as Tommy joked in that interview, it had completely to do with the fact that I love TNA through and through. The company has treated me fantastic over the decade plus years I have been there. From Dixie to everyone there I am really happy there. I wanted to stay there and help build the company, be a part of something that I was with since the ground up. There is nowhere else in the world I would go and say that. That was the reason that I stayed and I have zero regrets. If I was asked to do it over again a 100 times I would do it 100 times.”

You can see Abyss’ full interview with Ring Rust Radio here at this link.

Source: Ring Rust Radio

Richards Turns Down Storm, Abyss Joins Storm’s Revolution, Storm & Abyss Become New TNA Tag Champs

 

Davey Richards turned down James Storm’s offer to join his Revolution & Storm, The Great Sanada & Manik assaulted the TNA Tag Team Champions The Wolves.

 

Storm cashed in the forgotten about Tag Team Title Feast or Fired briefcase on The Wolves. The Monster Abyss joined Storm’s Revolution & Storm & Abyss defeat the beaten down Wolves and become the new TNA Tag Team Champions.

“The Monster” Abyss Returned To Impact

Abyss made his return to Impact & laid out Bad Influence(Daniels & Kazarian).